1/9/22 The Snake Charmer who had no Snakes to Charm

 The Snake Charmer who had no Snakes to Charm

The snake charmer sits on his knees in front of his woven wooden basket. With his flute to his lips he plays an enchanting tune. Anyone around would be mesmerized by the sound but they weren’t, for there was no one around; no thing around, just the man and his empty basket.

So if the basket has no snakes, then who does the snake charmer play his tune for? You see this is not any normal basket, this basket was enchanted to let the snake charmer look into different dimensions. By playing his tune the snake charmer could open a window to another world, right there in his basket. Depending on which melody he would play, decided which world he would look upon.

After trying many different tunes, the snake charmer found one that showed him a particularly interesting dimension. One much like his own but somewhere else in existence. Through this magical window the snake charmer was able to see the life of a beautiful woman. Her village threw the most wonderful gatherings every night. The end of day feast, he thinks it’s called. Large tables covered in the food prepared during the day, a large roaring campfire in the middle, people dancing, eating, drinking, having fun, but all he could focus on was her. He loved to watch her dance, with flowers strone through her hair, her wavy dark brown hair bouncing around as she did. 

Although this woman brought the snake charmer much joy, it also brought him sadness. He knew he could watch whenever he wanted but could never go to her. At first he did not mind but as his affections for the woman started to grow, his heart began breaking at the thought of never being able to meet her in person. With this knowledge still, night after night, the snake charmer played his tune.

One night, however, was different, as he watched the woman dance around the fire, a very drunk man came over to her, he began placing his hands on the woman, trying to hold her. The woman very obviously did not welcome the embrace, she tried to shove the man away but he was insistent, and being much larger than the woman, was able to overpower her. 

The snake charmer watched angrily, wishing so badly that he could go and save the woman from the hideous man. He listened as the woman struggled with the man. He was appalled that none of the other villagers seemed to notice, or care. The man grabbed the woman tight, making her escape impossible. She cried out for help. With each scream a tear would fall from the snake charmer's eye. 

Not being able to bear her anguish he put down his flute. In that moment, the snake charmer vowed never to look into the basket again, knowing it would only bring him pain. With the flute on the ground and the snake charmer in tears, the inside of the basket began to glow. “Save her,” a soft wispy voice called out from the basket. The snake charmer curiously looked over to the basket, nothing like this had ever happened before. “Save her,” the voice came again but louder.

“How?” the man questioned. Instead of an answer the basket began to glow even brighter. The man tried to look as long as he could but was eventually blinded by the light and was forced to shut his eyes. 

When he opened them again he was not in his home. He knew exactly where he was. He raced to the center of the village, the people giving him strange looks. The snake charmer didn’t care, he ran over to the woman and knocked the man to the ground. “STAY AWAY FROM HER!” he yelled in rage.The man scurried to stand then ran off somewhere else in the village. 

The woman was stunned, looking at the snake charmer, examining his attire. She looked at him as a stranger and yet somehow she felt like she knew him. “Thank you,” she said softly, looking down to the ground.

“You’re welcome,” he replied. Before any further interaction could happen, the fire blazed brighter than ever before. The man was once again whisked away by the light back into his home. “No, no I want to go back,” he said, grabbing the basket, “TAKE ME BACK!” he continued angrily, shaking the basket in the air. Tears once again flowed from his eyes. 

Quickly he grabbed his flute and played the tune to see into the woman's dimension. The window opened and the man could see the woman, looking around, trying to figure out where he had gone. An elder woman walked up to the woman, “It seems you have a guardian angel watching over you,” she says, gently rubbing the woman's back.

The woman turns to the elder with sadness in her eyes, “Will I ever see him again?”

“It is impossible to know,” the elder replies. The two walk back to the village.

The snake charmer smiles as his tear ducts dry. He will be exactly that, the woman’s guardian angel, whenever she is in danger he will go to her and save her. Maybe one day he will be able to stay, but for now he is content with his new role as her protector.

The End

1/9/22